Stronger
by storywritinglover3663
Summary: Sakura has memories of a lonely, cruel past, that she yearns to forget. Sasuke calling her weak all the time only makes things worse. Her inner demon, Sikaru, wants to finally reveal itself to Sakura, and show her family and teammates shes not weak. Gaara takes notice of her suffering, and offers her help in becoming stronger. Though along the way, a new bond may form.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sakura woke up, rubbing her groggy eyes. The Chunnin exams began today. It seemed to come so quick.

Sakura slipped out of bed, and quickly changed into her usual uniform. A red qipao dress with white circular designs, with short sleeves, a zipper, tight dark green shorts, and a forehead protector she uses to accentuate her face. Sakura made her way out of her room, downstairs, and into the dining room. It was eerily quiet, making it obvious her mom and sister weren't home.

"It's Ok, I didn't want to say bye to you guys either…" Sakura mumbled sadly. She grabbed a pear and stalked out of the house unhappily.

It wasn't hard to believe her mom and Rima wouldn't waste time to say goodbye. Sakura knew they didn't love her, because of how weak she was. She remembered Rima laughing in her face when Sakura told her about how Sasuke called weak.

"_Hah! He really cant tell a lie, can he?! Weak?! Oh my god, so fucking true!" She cried, bursting in hysterics._

A grimace covered the pink-haired girls face, and she balled her hands into fists. The bear she had been holding was smushed, and Sakura flew the chunks of fruit at the ground.

"I'M NOT WEAK, DAMN IT" She screamed to no one in particular. Sakura huffed, and collected her nerves slightly. She checked no one was watching, before continuing her walk to the bridge where she was meeting Naruto and Sasuke. She was completely unaware of a certain sand ninja watching her every move.

Sakura finally appeared next to Naruto, who was currently playing with a loose string on his orange jacket.

"Sakura-chaaaan! I'm so happy you're finally here!" Naruto exclaimed, reaching his arms out to hug her. She avoided his reach, and walked right past him, not at all in the mood for Naruto's annoyance. Sakura walked past Sasuke, wanting to punch him so hard his teeth flew out for making her sister laugh at her. He watched her walk with a cold expression, though his eyes showed confusion at the fact that she was ignoring him. He must be so used to his fan girls screaming over him, that he wasn't used to the cold-shoulder from one of his biggest fans.

"Sakura? Why are you so moody today?" Sasuke asked, his voice robotic. I stopped walking and clenched my jaw.

"I saw your face, and this sick feeling suddenly filled my stomach." I remarked, a small smirk coming onto my face. I heard Naruto begin to laugh loudly, and smiled. Annoying or not, he still had good tastes in jokes.

"What the fuck?! I thought you liked me!" Sasuke yelled. I turned to look at him with a deadly glare.

"I know. I was so stupid to have liked such an intolerable, anti-social, rude-ass, arrogant ego-maniac ass wipe like you." I replied coolly. Sasuke looked extremely taken aback, and as soon as he opened his mouth to say something, Kakashi cut in.

"Now, now children, settle down. We wouldn't want to start a fight before the exams even before the exams begin, do we?" He tsked. I turn to look at him, the anger in me only settling down a little, but I saw amusement in his eyes. He was _amused? _AMUSED?! I gritted my teeth, and crossed my arms over my chest. I leaned back on the railing of the bridge, and tried to keep inner Sakura under control.

_Inner Sakura: LET ME AT 'EM! LET ME AT HIM!_

_Sakura's own mind: No. It'll only make things messy._

_Inner Sakura: Awwwww, why not?! Cant I just take over for like…2 seconds and knock 'em out? _

_Sakura's own mind: No._

Sakura was so busy arguing with her inner demon, she didn't notice Kakashi-sensei speaking.

"Sakura…Sakura?!" Kakashi yelled, waving his hand in front of my face. I turned to give him a pissed off glare.

"WHAT?! I'M HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF!" She yelled. He backed away, his eyes wide in shock. Sakura mentally cursed myself.

_Sakura's mind: DAMN IT! SEE WHAT YOU DID?!_

_Inner Sakura: Hehe, sorry…_

"Sakura, please don't yell at your sensei." Kakashi grumbled, giving her an odd glance. She mumbled a sorry, not really meaning it.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck on the Chunnin exams. You've all trained hard. Some harder then others." Kakashi said this, looking at Sakura on the last part. _Crap…_had he caught her practicing after hours? Sakura shifted her gaze away from his, finding it intense and awkward. He went on babbling about how hard they trained, and studied for this day, and blah blah blah… Sakura focused her attention on a tree, where one branch looked like it had a weird dark bulge on it. Staring more closely, Sakura realized it wasn't a bulge, but a person. He was staring directly at Sakura, making her shift uncomfortably. From what she could see, He had red hair, some sort of gourd on his back, and dark rings around his eyes. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were, because they were hidding in the shadow of his hair. Sakura yearned to know who the mysterious ninja was, but the voice of Kakashi forced her to remain where she was.

"Alright. Lets go."

**Inside Examining Room**

Sakura and her teammates found herself staring at around 100 different Genins, all waiting to begin the first part of the exams. They all turned to acknowledge the newcomers, eyes boring into them. One particular burning gaze caught Sakura's attention. She turned to look at a certain red-head, with jade green eyes that had black rings around them, and messy red hair. A large tan gourd with a cork in it hung on his back, and his aura was unpleasant. She recognized him from earlier, and swallowed a lump in her throat. This guy was definitely scary. She turned away from his gaze and stuck her chin in the air. No way was she going to let someone intimidate her so easily!

"Oh, Sakura, I didn't think you would actually come!" Ino, Sakura's person ball of annoyance, mocked from her place next to Shikamaru. He was sleeping, but that wasn't a surprise.

"Shut up Ino. Nobody cares what you think. Besides, that annoying voice of yours is going to give everyone headaches if you don't." Sakura remarked, raising her hand to her head dramatically. Ino scowled, and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Sakura-slut." Ino hissed. Sakura dropped her arm, and glared at Ino darkly.

"What did you call me?" Sakura growled. Ino opened her mouth to say something, but when she saw the look on her face, seemed to not be able to speak anymore.

"That's what I thought, Ino-whore." Sakura said with a smirk. Ino slammed her fist down on the desk, waking Shikamaru from his slumber.

"Excuse me?!" She screamed, causing everyone's gaze to shift to the scene unfolding.

"Your excused." Sakura replied. Ino flipped the desk and charged at Sakura, her fists ready to hit something. Sakura easily side-stepped and tripped an unexpecting Ino. She fell to the floor, flat on her face, and cried out in a mixture of shock and pain. A smirk came over Sakura's pretty features, and she sighed.

"I guess you'll never learn." Sakura sighed, shrugging. She rolled Ino over with her foot, and placed it on her stomach.

"Last time you tried to attack me like this, I did the same exact thing. Why don't you remember these things?" Sakura sniggered. Ino knit her eyebrows together, and pushed Sakura's foot off of her. The blonde stood up and brushed some of the dirt off her clothes, before giving Sakura an ugly glare, and stalking away. Sakura was about to smirk, when someones hand grabbed her arm, and dragged her back out of the room.

**Gaara's P.O.V**

Gaara watched the blonde who had attacked Sakura sulk back to her seat, fury covering her toned face. She was pretty, but not as pretty as Sakura. Gaara wanted to confront Sakura, and stepped forward, only to see her being dragged out by a raven-haired boy. He glared after them, waved a dismissive hand to Temari and Kankuro, and disappeared in a thick of sand.

Gaara reappeared behind a corner, where he could hear everything The boy said to Sakura.

"Sakura, stop putting all the attention on you! What about _me _and Naruto!" The boy shouted, emphazing the word 'me'.

"Putting all the attention on me? Did you _want _me to let Ino hit me? And why does everything have to be about _you _and Naruto! I'm part of the team to!" Sakura yelled back, the anger thick in her voice.

"Sakura…I just don't want you to get hurt.." The boy whispered. A loud 'smack' went through the air, and a shocked gasp.

"BULL SHIT! You don't give a damn about me, _Sasuke Uchiha!_ You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!" Sakura yelled. Gaara peaked around the corner, and saw a big red mark in the shape of a hand on Sasuke's face.

"How dare you hit me! You weak lit-" Sasuke was cut off by another slap to the face.

"DON'T EVEN SAY IT! I ALREADY KNOW YOU THINK I'M WEAK! BUT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ME AND MY STRENGTH!" Sakura's face was turning dark red, her hands were balled up in fists, and her eyes were hard with anger. Sasuke flinched away from the anger in her voice and eyes, and backed away.

"Fine. I'm sorry. I went to far." He growled, looking like he didn't mean it. He probably didn't. Gaara watched the boy walk inside, then turned his gaze back to Sakura. He was surprised to see all the anger on her face gone, and instead replaced with sadness. Her eyes were hazy, like she was remembering something.

**Sakura's P.O.V**

"_Babe, shes worthless. Weak and annoying. Nothing but a burden on us." Sakura's father said from his study._

"_I know, but she still has the __**thing **__inside of her. If we just get rid of her, it'll unleash itself." Her mom's voice said. _

"_I supposed you're right. But what are we supposed to do with her?" Her dad asked. There was a moment of silence, and then the sound of dark laughing. The tears that had formed in Sakura's eyes finally ran down her cheeks, and her small 8 year old hands clutched the cake she just gotten done baking for her parents._

"_Make sure we discipline her very well." Her mom laughed. Cake momentarily forgotten, Sakura raised her hands to cover up a sob that threatened to come out, dropping the cake and it's glass tray to the floor. The laughing inside the study stopped, and the sound of footsteps coming to door made panic arise in Sakura. The door slid open, and dark angry eyes bored into Sakura's frightened green ones._

"_D-daddy? I'm sorry…I'll clean it up…" Sakura whimpered, backing away slowly. A shard of glass cut at her foot, and she winced._

"_I know you will. But first I must punish you." Her dad sniggered. His eyes were wide and looked crazy, and a sick grin played on his face. The pink-haired women behind him placed a spiked belt in his hand, the same grin on her face._

"_Shirt up, down on your knees." Her dad commanded. Sakura didn't have any choice but to obey, cutting her hands as she did. _

Sakura gingerly placed a hand on her back, where many of the scars still remained. Her memory fogged up from there, though she could still remember the sound of her screaming, parents laughing, and the whip of the belt connecting with her small back. Sakura wiped away the tears that had fallen onto her cheek, and clenched her fists. She turned to face the wall closest to her, and slammed her fist into it. Blood trickled slowly from her knuckles, but she continued to pound it.

After only five punches from each fist, the wall had deep holes in it, and her knuckles were torn and bleeding badly. She braced herself for another hit, but was blocked by a wall of sand. Sakura pulled back her hand, her eyes wide in surprise. It was only then did she feel the chakra of another person.

"W-wha-?" Sakura stammered, searching for the hidden person. He finally stepped out from behind a corner, his eyes shining with something like pity and anger at the same time.

"You pity yourself. You act as if no one has had it worse then you. But what do you know?" His voice was hard and cold, but there was something else in it to. It sounded like her parents. Sakura clenched her teeth and glared at him.

"What do I know? What do _you _know? Why do you watch me, huh? You watch me, and then critisce me. You don't know anything about my life, you don't even know _me, _so why act like you do?" Sakura hissed back. The red-head looked taken aback for a moment, but it disappeared from his face as soon as it came.

"I don't _act _like I know you, I _do _know you." He replied calmly. Sakura knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. What was he trying to get at.

"You're family. They treat you like dirt. Laugh at you. Call you weak. Just like everyone else. But theres something nobody else knows. Only you. Isn't there? You're strong. And you know it. But you don't show it." The boy went on, his eyes growing darker and darker with every word. Sakura backed away from the weird kid, fear rising up in her. He suddenly vanished, confusing her more, and appeared behind her. Sakura felt him lift up her shirt, making her gasp, and felt his eyes boring into the scars on her back. Sakura pushed away from him, and bit back more tears. _How dare he. _

"Scars. They looked like they were painful to receive." His voice was cool, but the anger in it was audible.

"Stop…" Sakura whispered, her voice choking.

"You're parents did that to you. With a pointed object. And they _wanted _to cause you pain." He didn't stop, he just went on. Sakura's body was shocking, and fear was racking her entire body.

"No…No! Shut up! Stop it, stop it, stop it! You don't know anything!" Sakura screamed, making an attempt to push past him. A wall of sand blocked her way though, and she was forced to take steps back as it moved closer.

"You want to prove to them, prove that you're strong. Stronger than anyone else." His voice grew closer and closer, until Sakura was pushed into him. A strong tan arm wrapped itself around her waist, and pulled her close to his chest. He raised his mouth to her ear, and his breath tickled her neck.

"I can make you stronger." He whispered. She stopped struggling in his hold, and swallowed the words she was about to scream at him.

_I can make you stronger…._

_Could he really?_

"_You're bluffing." Sakura mumbled. _

"_No. My name is Gaara. If you wish to become stronger, you will come to me." He whispered. Her heart did a back-flip at the thought of becoming stronger. Kakashi was doing a good job, but something about what he said made her want to accept. He heald onto her for a little longer, before disappearing in a wave of sand, leaving Sakura to her thoughts, alone. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sakura! Wake up, we need to keep moving." Naruto's voice awoke the pink-haired teen, who opened her eyes slowly.

"Fine, Fine, I'm up." She grumbled. Sakura lifted herself to her feet, brushed some leaves off her, and followed Naruto and Sasuke out of the hollowed out tree the made their camp for the night. It was pretty nice actually. The entrance was covered by blackberry bushes, and inside the hollow, the floor was covered in a comfy cushion of heather, moss and leaves. A pretty nice bed if you asked her. The heaven scroll bounced around in her kunai pouch, while the earth scroll sat securely in Naruto's. Sasuke refused to hold it, seeing as he was the key of the team, and if he were to be attacked, they would all die. Sakura rolled her eyes at this, but didn't say anything. She couldn't exactly talk him out his own ego.

The trio raced through the trees, keeping an their eyes and ears open for any possible danger. It wasn't long before a foreign chakra scent hit her. She gave the signal for them to stop, and they did.

"Can you guys sense that?" Sakura asked, scrunching her eyes in concentration. Her teammates nodded, and Sasuke pointed to the left.

"Over there."

The three continued on their way, following the scent of the chakra. It's aura grew stronger and stronger as they grew closer. Finally they stopped on a tree branch, that gave a full view of a small clearing. 3 ninjas that looked to be from The Hidden Village of sound stood in the clearing, they're weird features and clothes giving Sakura the chills. Gaara, and is two companions stood in front of them. I could only just here them.

"Who are you trying to impress, kid? You cant beat me!" One of the sound ninjas laughed. Gaara just stared at them blankly, like he was _bored. _

"I'm going to kill you." Gaara said robotically. Sakura watched closely, wondering why the hell Gaara even challenged someone of such a high rank. The sound ninja clenched his jaw, looking extremely pissed off. He pulled out several umbrellas, and threw them directly to Gaara. Sakura's heart stopped for a second, knowing the outcome of this, and she let out a shocked gasp when he blocked all of them with _sand._

"W-wha-?" The ninja who threw the umbrellas stammered. Gaara let a terrifying look come onto his face, and raised his arm slowly, hand opened wide. Sand slowly began to form around the sound ninja. Sakura felt a weird excitement building up in her, and she felt her head swirling around.

"Desert coffin." Gaara said slowly. The only girl on Gaara's team let a terrified expression come over her face. Sand completely devoured the sound ninja, who's screams were still clear, even under the blanket. Sakura grabbed her head, feeling like something was trying to take over her body.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's concerned voice was far away, but Gaara's voice echoed clearly through her head.

"Dessert Funeral." After the words, Sakura heard the sounds of screaming, and something warm and sticky hit her leg. She opened her eyes, and saw the foggy image of blood on her leg. Then she blacked out.

**Gaara's P.O.V**

Gaara heard a rustle in the tree above him, and turned to see Sakura holding her head, and falling out of the tree. Her body was changing into something, the aura of a demon hitting him strongly. Her soft pink hair turned to a dark ebony black, and he could see her eyes turning to a bright red. Gaara watched in shock and horror as she hit the ground. Her teammates stayed in the tree, staring down at her in horror.

"Temari, Kankuro, take care of the other two." He ordered. His teammates nodded, and he disappeared into a thick of sand, reappearing beside the girl. Her eyes stared at him intensely, as he picked her body up in his arms.

"O-OI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH SAKURA-CHAN!" Sakura's loud-mouthed blonde companion yelled from the tree.

"Something you don't have the guts to do yourself." He replied calmly, before disappearing with Sakura, or whoever she was now, in his arms.

**Sikaru's P.O.V**

"Why are you holding us?" The demon asked, her voice cold as ice.

"You're a demon. If I left you with Sakura's teammates, you would've been a goner for sure." Gaara replied, his voice the same. Fury took over Sikaru's face, but she wasn't comfortable in her body enough for her to hurt Gaara.

"I can take care of myself." She growled slowly. Gaara rolled his eyes, and placed her gently down on a bed of moss, and heather. She sighed and stared at the sky.

"Your own demon got me excited. I haven't seen the real world for a while, seeing as Sakura has never been around such strong energy." Sikaru chuckled. Gaara realized she looked quite calm for a demon.

"You think I'm calm for a demon. This is true. But I would never do something unnecessary, that might hurt Sakura." The girl in front of him whispered.

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked, keeping his voice cool.

"See's like I'll have to explain. Sakura was supposed to have a twin sister. That would be me. Her name would've been Sikaru, had she lived when she was given birth to. When I died, the medic nin transferred my remaining chakra to Sakura's body, forming it into a seal on her back. This was the symbol of twins. Now that I have taken over her body for the first time, the seal should be clear to see." Sikaru explained, her eyes calm and peaceful. Suddenly her hand grabbed her forehead, and she closed her eyes in pain.

"Uh-oh…Time for me to go.." And with that being said, Sikaru blacked out, and changed back into Sakura. Her eyes opened once more, her eyes a bright emerald green once again.

**Gaara's P.O.V**

"Gaara? W-what happened?…" Sakura whispered, her eyes clouded with confusion. She tried to sit up, groaned, and fell back down.

"Rest for now. I'll explain later." Gaara grumbled. Sakura nodded lazily. She placed her head on his lap and snuggled up to him, like a little kid. Gaara couldn't help a small blush from creeping onto his face.

"_No! You don't feel…__**flustered…**__You only love yourself, only care for yourself. This girl has no effect on you whatsoever!" _Gaara shouted to himself mentally, though he didn't think this was true. Gaara sighed inwardly, and watched the pink-haired girl as she slept.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO SAKURA?!" A loud voice yelled from behind him. Gaara jumped, made sure Sakura hadn't waken up, and turned to face the voice.

"I helped her. Keep your voice down, or she might wake up." Gaara replied blankly. The spiky blonde-haired boy clenched his fists, while the one next to him, Sasuke, narrowed his eyes.

"Why is she asleep in the first place?" He asked coolly.

"She used to much chakra in her transformation." Gaara said it like it were obvious, which it was. A small sneeze came from Sakura, and Gaara found it kind of cute. He turned back to her, and saw her staring up at him.

"Naruto's yelling woke me up…He's really annoying you know…" She whispered, a small grin coming onto her face. Gaara stared down and nodded in agreement.

"OI! What are you guys talking about?!" Naruto yelled. Gaara and Sakura both rolled their eyes, and Sakura sat up, to Gaara's slight disappointment.

"Were saying that you're kind of annoying." Sakura said, with a slight shrug. Naruto's jaw dropped, and Sasuke sniggered slightly.

"Don't get so cocky Uchiha, you're worse then him." She hissed to said boy, who's jaw also dropped. Naruto laughed at this, and Gaara couldn't help a small smirk. Sakura had only a minutes rest, and she had already recovered most of her energy.

"Sakura, we need to get to the tower and turn in our scrolls. Unless you want to lose." Sasuke growled, glaring at her with eyes like ice. Sakura stood up, brushed off her dress, and started to walk towards the raven-haired boy. Gaara watched her hand curl into a tight fist, and she stopped right in front of Sasuke. Sakura pulled back her fist, and slammed it down hard on Sasuke's head.

"BAKA! DON'T EVER SAY I WANT TO LOSE AGAIN, OR ELSE I'LL PUNCH YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Sakura yelled, her face red with anger. Gaara smirked and shook his head, already used to her loud voice. He figured it was time to leave, and vanished in a whirl of sand.

**Sakura's P.O.V**

Sakura turned around to find Gaara's place empty.

"G-Gaara? Where did he go?" She asked, looking from side to side. A slight pinch of disappointment panged her stomach, and sighed. Sakura shrugged, guessing it would be better for him to leave anyways.

**(Ok! Sorry, I cant keep writing using Sakura, and she, and her, and etc. I need to use I, SO continuing, using I!)**

Sasuke's glare was burning into my turned head and I gritted my teeth. I whirled around to glare back at him, already wanting to punch him again. For some reason, I felt like the last one just wasn't hard enough.

"Is there a problem?" I growled. He sighed and shook his head "no". I smirked and gave him a *I-didn't-think-so* look. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and turned away from my gaze. I realized then, how much I hated being around this guy. Maybe it really _was _time to make a change.

**Ok! Sorry for the late update guys, I haven't been feeling so good lately, but I hope you stayed with me! PLEASE, leave a review! I feel like my stories aren't good enough when you don't! **


	3. Chapter 3

**OH MEH GERD! CAN I JUST SEND A HUGE THANK YOU SHOUT-OUT TO MY FIRST TWO REVIEWERS! They made me feel so much better! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ok, now onto chapter 3! XD**

**Chapter 3**

I couldn't believe we have to have a Preliminary match! I had a strong hope that I wouldn't be paired up with Gaara. Anyone, BUT Gaara. Sasuke hissed in pain once again, grabbing his shoulder for the 3rd time. I couldn't help feel a prick of concern, but it quickly faded when I realized the pain on his face was fake. The snake-freaks fangs only grazed him, thanks to my expertly thrown Kunai. He had a tiny scratch on him, and that was it. No bruise, no nothing.

"You know, a real ninja could handle such a _fatal _wound." I whispered to him mockingly. His groans of pain stopped immediately, and he straightened up, sending me a death glare. I just rolled my eyes, and turned back to the match going on below us. Shikamaru had a female sound-ninja trapped in his Shadow Imitation Technique, and was pulling out a Kunai. The sound-ninja clenched her jaw, staring at him in anger and confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?! If you throw this, we'll both get hit!" She yelled, panic rising in her voice. So she _was _scared.

"I know, idiot. We'll just have to see who lasts longer." He growled. Though his words were focused on the Kunai, his eyes were trained on the wall behind her. I smirked, a feeling of surprise resting In my stomach. Who knew Shikamaru could be so smart? Shikamaru threw the kunai, and, obviously, so did she. He ducked the grin on his face growing even more. The ninja began to laugh, but was cut-short by her head colliding with wall behind her. I winced when the bang rang out clearly for everyone to here, and the ninja slumped to floor, obviously knocked out. The medic nin lifted her onto a sling, and took her out of the room. I turned my attention back to the screen to see which pair was up next.

My heart stopped for a second when I saw the names "Naruto Uzumaki" and "Kiba Inuzuka" appeared. Then I forced myself to calm down. Naruto was strong, way stronger then people believed him to be.

**(Ok, I'm not gonna do Naruto and Kiba's fight, it's way to long, so I'm just skipping ahead to Sakura and Ino's fight! Sorry for any sort of disappointment, please forgive me!)**

I gaped at the board, thinking maybe I hadn't read the words correctly.

"Haruno Sakura VS. Yamanaka Ino" stated clearly in bright yellow. Ino and Sakura shared a glance, and looked away just as quickly.

_Alright, I can take down this bitch!_

I already knew, deep down, not being able to beating her wasn't what I was afraid of. I was afraid I would completely destroy whatever shred of friendship we might have had left. I gulped, and walked down to the area we would fight. Ino watched me with a burning gaze, though if I looked close enough, I could see regret in her eyes. I could slightly see the day we broke our friendship, and immediately looked away.

"Begin." The examiner muttered, obviously feeling the tension in the air. I sighed, and turned to face Ino. She nodded slightly, giving me the hint that she didn't want me to go easy on her. I nodded, and slid out my ninja stars. It was now or never. I charged forward, jumped into the air, and threw two of them. She dodged both easily, not noticing the third one headed straight for her arm. It hit her square in the shoulder-blade, making her gasp in pain. I landed on my feet, and tried pushing away the slight concern that had risen up in me.

Ino got up, and turned around with a small smirk on her face.

"Neh, Sakura. If I'm a Cosmo, then what are you?" She recited from a day back in the academy. I blinked slowly, and ran the question through my head.

"A beautiful cherry blossom, that's going to make all the other flowers cower beneath me." I stated simply. Ino smiled, and shook her head, before pulling the kunai out of her shoulder.

"Remember how we thought Sasuke liked girls with long hair?" The blonde said suddenly. I blinked in confusion, wondering what she was trying to get at.

"Yeah…Why?" I asked, suddenly interested.

"He's the reason why we aren't friend anymore, Sakura. I'll never forgive myself for that." Ino whispered, pulling the kunai to her hair. I gasped, knowing exactly what she was about to do, and frowned. She was going to make herself seem strong. I pulled out another kunai, pricked my thumb, and held it up to my hair as well. Ino smiled slightly, and stared at me with big blue eyes.

"Lets say we make a truce?" She whispered. I smirked and nodded, and at the same time, we pulled the kunai's through our hair. I watched blonde hair mix with pink, and blue eyes bored deep down into my green ones. Things were about to get serious.

Ino made the symbols for her Mind-switch technique. I smirked, and raised a hand carelessly.

"Even if you perform the Mind-switch technique, It can only move in a straight line. I can easily move, and not get touched." I reminded her. She seemed surprised that I knew this, but wiped the confusion off her face. She placed her arms at her sides and sighed.

"Guess I won't do it then." Ino shrugged. I smirked, and threw a kunai, watching her catch it with ease. I smirked, disappeared, and reappeared behind her back. She looked confused, and I took this as my chance to slam my foot into her back. Ino flew forward, and hit the wall hard. I had channeled extra chakra into my foot, so I _knew _that hurt.

"Truce or no truce, I'm not going to have a soft side with you." I muttered, running a hand through my now short pink hair.

"Winner, Haruno Sakura."

**Ok, Sorry, I know this chappy kind suckied, but I was tired and wanted to finish it, so I went in a hurry. SORRY! D: But thanks for the reviews so far, they make me very happy! XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok. Hopefully this chapter will be longer and more detailed, I feel the urge to write, thank god! Here's chapter 4!**

I woke up and rubbed my groggy eyes, and blinked against the sunlight filtering through my window. I had a month to train before the Finals, and I knew just who was going to train me. Gaara was strong, I definitely knew that, and I wasn't going to let the opportunity of training with him pass me by.

I quickly changed into my clothes, and made my way downstairs. My mother and Rima sat at the table, happily chatting with one another. When the heard me approaching, they instantly stopped talking, and acted as if they were intensely interested in their food. A pang of sadness and rejection rose up in me, making me ball my hands into tight fists. Who were they to treat me like scum? I slammed my fist down on the table, making the both of them jump.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I _scare _you? I was just reaching for one of those apples, when my hand _accidentally _slipped." I lied, talking in a sickly-sweet voice. My mother grimaced, and Rima…grinned? I narrowed my eyes at her, grabbed an apple, and began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Rima's voice stopped me, and I slowly turned to give her a suspicious look.

"Why do _you _care?" I asked. She smirked and shrugged, flicking a strand of silver hair off her shoulder.

"Just wanted to know where my _baby _sister was wandering off to." She sniggered. The apple was crushed in my hand, just like the pair, shocking both of them once again. I flung it to the ground, and stomped it in. Two sentences. That was all it took for her to set me off.

"I am _NOT _a baby, nor am I your sister! If you wanted me to even _suggest _I was related to you, then why didn't you try to win me over earlier!" I snarled, eyes glinting angrily. Rima's eyes were wide in shock, and my mother got up to yell at me.

"Don't even say a word, _mother! _I don't consider myself related to you either! Do you know how much hell you and dad have put me through?! Well guess what, I'm done!" I cut her off, spitting the word 'mother' out like it hurt to say. Which it did. My mother sat down, her mouth open in a perfect O. I huffed, walked out the door, and slammed it shut. I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulder. I was no longer a burden on their backs, and they were no longer a burden on mine. Feeling as if the world had been lifted off my shoulders, I skipped down the road, and away from the house I never wanted to see again.

My feet had carried me to Ino's flower shop, all on their own. I wondered if she would let me crash at her place for a while, considering we re-made our friendship in our fight. The sound of a bell chimed when I opened the light pink door, smiling when I saw Ino working at the counter. She smiled slightly, and waved me over. I walked slowly towards her, taking my time to examine all the beautiful different flowers.

"Sakura-chan, it's been such a long time since you came to our shop." Ino giggled, her now short blonde hair pulled into a bun. I smiled and nodded, trying to find the right words to say.

"Sakura? Is everything all right?" Ino asked, noticing the look on my face. I sighed and shook my head 'no'. Ino's eyes softened, and she gestured her hand to a small chair next to her. I accepted the offer and sat down, running a hand through my also short hair.

"I kind of…exploded, on my mom and Rima, and told them I was done putting up with them. Also meaning, I'm done living under the same roof as two annoying bitches." I muttered, twiddling my fingers. Ino giggled, surprising me.

"It's about time! You've hated those two since we first met! I've kept a spare room for you since then, and completely forgot about it up until now! You can crash at our place." Ino exclaimed in a, 'oh-my-gosh-DUH' voice. I smiled, and gave her a gigantic hug, feeling relief building inside of me.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried, squeezing her tighter.

"But on…one…condition…" Ino wheezed. I let go of the blonde, and gave her a curious look.

"You cover my shifts in the flower shop." She grinned, a sly smirk crawling onto her face. I sighed, and shook her hand, figuring I had to.

"Great, you start now!" Ino exclaimed. She clapped her hands together, and tossed me her apron, before skipping out of the shop. I sighed, and tied the apron around my waist.

_How bad could this be?_

**Several hours later**

I finally ended the shift, and can I just say…I was exhausted! There were more visitors then I expected, and whenever customers weren't looking, the register would spaz, and fly open, sending change and money all over me. I made sure to stay away from it after that.

The door closed behind me, and I made sure to lock it before walking towards the ramen shop. The streets were empty, besides me, and there were no lights visible. It gave me the spooks.

"Saaakkurraa? Wwwhhyy aarent yyou at home wwwith y-your mmmmmoooommm?!" My dad's overly drunken voice slurred loudly from behind me, making me jump. I turned to glare at the sorry excuse for a man, and grimaced.

"That women is not my mother, nor she ever will be." I replied, stuffing my hands into my pockets. My 'dad' narrowed his eyes at me, and cocked his head to the side.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He growled. 2 of his buddies, appeared at his side, obviously drunk as well.

"You heard me." I said.

"Katsun, Maki, I think we need to punish my daughter." My dad chuckled darkly. I walked backwards, but his two buddies lunged forward and grabbed both my arms. I scowled, flipped, and kicked them both in the face. They fell backwards, and I made a dash for it. The sound of feet pounded after me, along with the pounding of my heart. I turned a corner, only to find it a dead end. I panicked, and searched for a way out. Then I remembered the tree climbing exercises, and calmed myself. I urged chakra down to my feet, trying to keep my thoughts clear. The pounding of feet grew closer, and I could hear shouting. I finally felt enough chakra, and dashed up the wall blocking my way to get out. I turned around to smirk, only to gasp when I saw them running up as well. Then I mentally slapped myself. They were Shinobi, of course they knew this trick!

"Sakura, get your ass back here! My friends want to play with you!" My dad's yell followed me. I gagged, knowing exactly what he meant. I finally reached the roof, and ran straight to the edge. I looked for a ladder or rope, or anything to climb down on, but nothing was there. I measured the length to the ground, wondering if I could jump.

_Approximately 120 feet down. _No. Not a possibility.

"We've got you." My dad chuckled, grabbing my shoulder. I turned around to land a punch to his face, but my fist was caught by his friend. He twisted my arm behind my back, earning a pained shriek from me. My dad's hold on my shoulder rested on my neck, squeezing tighter then necessary.

"Now, since you didn't behave like a good girl, were going to go extra hard." My dad's sinister voice breathed into my face, the smell of alcohol choking me. I bit back the tears that threatened to fall, and forced myself to kick him right in a sensitive spot. He let go of me, crying out in pain, and I stumbled backwards. I screamed in shock and horror, when I realized I had stumbled right off the edge of the building. My hands flailed to grab something, _anything, _but they touched nothing. I felt my dad's angry, sick gaze boring into me, and his friends disappointed looks. I closed my eyes, finally letting the tears fall, and waited for the crash.

**Gaara's P.O.V**

Gaara never slept, so it wasn't a surprise he was roaming the streets after dark. It was quiet, except for the occasional bark of a dog. Well, it was quiet until he noticed a drunken fool stumbling out of a bar, with two other drunken idiots. The man had brown hair, and scarily familiar emerald green eyes. Gaara noticed the man staring at something or someone, and then he yelled something. He could've sworn he heard the man yell 'Sakura'. Gaara followed the man's gaze, and sure enough, there was Sakura, glaring daggers at him. If he was on the receiving end of that look, he would've been scared senseless, but the man seemed unaffected. He wondered if he might be her father.

Suddenly, the two men who had followed her dad out of the bar grabbed her arms, weird grins on their face. Gaara was about to go help, when she flipped and kicked them both in the face. He was slightly impressed, but just _slightly. _She took off into the darkness, snapping Gaara from his cool demeanor, and making him chase after the 3 men following her. They cornered her in a dead end, making Gaara think it was finally his time to step in. But yet again, she surprised him by running _up _the wall. The 3 men followed her still, and Gaara followed as well.

They surrounded her on the edge of the roof, their grins returning to their faces. Sakura was having none of it though. Her knee lifted, and she kicked out her leg right into her dad's groin. He yelled in pain, and released her roughly, forcing her to stumble backwards. To Gaara's horror, she stumbled, _right off the building. _He automatically lifted his arm, and a tentacle of sand flowed from his palm. It wrapped itself around a terrified Sakura, and pulled her back up, right into his arms.

**OOOOH, A CLIFFY! Oh, I'm so evil! I hope you'll bear with me though, hehe! Please leave a review telling me if you guys liked it, I hope this chappy was longer then the last! (AND BETTER)**

**Fun little question *Which Naruto character are you most like**

**For Girls:**

**A) Tsunade**

**B) Hinata**

**C) Sakura**

**D) Ino**

**E) Other (Let me know!)**

**For boys:A) Kakashi**

**B) Kiba**

**C) Naruto**

**D) Sasuke**

**E) Other (Let me know!) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello Again! Unfortunately, Chapters might take slightly longer to upload, due to math homework! Instead of one page, she's now giving us two pages, so it's going to take longer then usual. I hope to update ASAP, but I can't promise much! Anyways, here's chapter 5!**

"G-Gaara?!" I stammered, staring up at the red-head in shock. Just as I thought I wouldn't stand a chance, he comes and saves the day.

"Everytime I see you, you're falling off of something." He drawled, a small smirk playing on his lips. I frowned and tried to hide the blush that was creeping onto my face.

"T-that's not true…" I muttered. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Do you want me to take care of them?" Gaara whispered, just so I could hear.

"No…I wouldn't want you getting in trouble because of me." I whispered. He nodded, sent a glare towards the 3 men staring in shock at him, and then disappeared with me in his arms.

We reappeared at the flower shop, a small grin on his face.

"You're friend was all over the place, talking about how you were going to live with her." Gaara whispered, noticing the confused look on my face. I nodded, and pulled away from his hold.

"Thanks again." I whispered shyly. Gaara just nodded, and stared intently at her.

"Did you think about my offer?" He asked. I grinned, noticing this was my chance.

"Yes, I decided I would join you in training. If it's still alright with you." I replied, excitement soaring through me.

"Good. We start tomorrow." Gaara instructed. Before I could say anything else, he vanished in a wave of sand. I frowned, not exactly sure why. Was I _upset, _that he left so soon? I shook the thought from my head. I walked into the shop, enjoying the small tinkle of the bell, and towards the back of the shop. I pushed through another door that led to the stairs. I climbed the long planks of wood, finally reaching the Yamanaka's living room. Ino was passed out on the couch, a bag of potato chips spilling over onto her stomach. Small snores filled the otherwise quiet room, forcing me to tiptoe as best as I could. I slipped past the couch, and faded into the shadows of the unlit hallway. I opened all the doors to separate rooms, finally finding one with a futon and large dresser. There was a small desk with a reading lamp, and a TV sat on the dresser. I closed the door quietly behind me, and walked over to the dresser. I slid open the droor, already finding my clothes there. I pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and colorful swirly t-shirt, quickly changed into them, and then crawled into bed. The futon was soft and fluffy, so I fell asleep easily.

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night, due to a hungry stomach. I realized, due to the events of last night, I still hadn't eaten. Sliding out of bed, my feet touched cool floor, making me shiver. I crept out of the room, and into the kitchen. The handle was cold, obviously, and my face was blasted with cold air when I opened the fridge. My eyes scanned the food, and zoned in on chocolate cake. The fat person inside of me grabbed it, and placed it on the counter. I sliced myself a generous piece, placed the cake back in it's rightful spot, and immediately began eating. Silky chocolate tickled my taste-buds, and I found it hard to hold back a moan of satisfaction. I had only taken a few bites before I heard scratching on the sliding glass door. I frowned, and wistfully placed the fork down on the plate. My feet barely touched the ground as I made my way over to the window, staring out into the darkness. I could only just make out two blue eyes, and the form of a foxes body. Slowly, I slid open the door, and kneeled down. The small creature whined, bit my hand gently, and began to tug me outside. I sighed, and follow it, seeing as if I had no choice. The fox pulled me a fair distance away from the flower shop/The Yamanaka's home, and stopped in front of a bush. It turned to face me, it's puppy face now an ugly snarl.

I backed away slowly, feeling as if I had just done something stupid by following the fox. The orange creature began to slowly transform, shaping into my dad. I bit back a scream of terror, and began to back away. Once again I was roughly grabbed by the arms. This time, there was another person with them, and he wrapped his arms around my legs. I struggled against the strong hold, already knowing it was pointless.

"I said I was going to punish you. Didn't I?" My father growled, walking towards me. He cupped my chin and lifted it up so that I was forced to look at him.

"You just never listen." His words were icey, and I scowled. I hacked for dramatic effect, and then spit a large ball of saliva into his face. My dad drew back, and wiped the spit off his face.

"Little brat. Get her to the building." My father growled, sending me a terrifying glare. I forced myself not to flinch away from the look, and instead tried to think of a way out of this.

"Yo, boss, she's thinking bout something!" One of the bigger men informed. My dad sighed, and gave some sort of signal. I opened my mouth to say something, but suddenly a piercing pain split through my head. My vision fogged first, and then I blacked out.

**Uh-Oh…CLIFFY! Sorry it was super short, but the next chapter is going to be really long, PROMISE! Please R&R, I would appreciate it so much!**

**Fun little Question: Which fight is YOUR fave?!**

**A) Sakura VS Sasori**

**B) Rock Lee VS Gaara**

**C) Sasuke VS Naruto (doesn't matter which one)**

**D) Naruto VS Kiba/Neji**

**E) Other (LET ME KNOW!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm listening to "Some Night" and The Celtic Girls right now, so I'm in a very good mood! Life is good for me right now. I hope it's good for everyone else out there to, and if it's not, just remember this… EVERYONE IS AWESOME, SO IT INCLUDES YOU! Don't live life as a depressed person, live life as an AWESOME PERSON! Ok, enough of my crazy's, onto chapter 6! XD (and now, I'm listening to when the dragon born comes)**

**Ino's P.O.V**

"Sakura, wake up!" Ino yelled, throwing open the door to Sakura's room. Confusion overcame the blonde when she was met with an empty room. The top droor was open, and the sheets on the futon were sprawled.

"Sakura? Where did she go?…" Ino muttered. She scratched her head in confusion, and closed the door again.

Ino walked into the kitchen, and found a plate with a slice of cake on it, and a wide open sliding glass door.

"She had 3 bites of cake and then went for a walk?" Ino laughed the question, and put the cake back in the fridge in case Sakura came home.

**Sakura's P.O.V**

"Wake up, bitch." A faint voice echoed through my head, making me grudgingly open my eyes. As soon as my eyes opened, a throbbing pain sliced through my head, and I squeezed them shut.

"Open your eyes!" My dads booming voice barked. I did as he commanded, and squinted at him.

"Where am I?" I growled, making an attempt to stand up. A weird rubbing sent vibrations up my legs, and I looked down to find out the cause of it. Ropes were tied loosely around my legs. I smirked and sighed, slipping my legs out of the bind easily.

"You obviously don't know how to tie someone up." I chuckled, shrugging out of the bindings on my wrists as well. My dad turned to glare at his 'friends', who shrugged awkwardly. A smirk crawled onto my face when my dad seemed to become rather angry. He drew back a hand, and lunged forward at his friend, then made a quick turn and slapped me instead. I stumbled from the force of the hit, and grabbed onto a small pole sticking out of the wall to help steady myself. I wiped some blood from the corner of my mouth, and turned to glare at my father.

"What a bitchy move." I said with a smirk. Focusing some chakra into my knuckles and arms, I bawled my hand into a fist, and slammed it into his face. The force of the hit was stronger then the slap, and it send him flying backwards. I was 99.9% sure he had been knocked out.

One of his friends lunged at me, though I easily side-stepped, and kicked him in the side. He fell to the floor, and groaned in pain. I gasped in pain when something small and sharp dug into my shoulder. I turned to see a kunai lodged deep in my arm, and I frowned. A surprise attack huh? I sensed the next kunai coming, and tore the first kunai out of my shoulder. I turned around and threw the kunai out of my way. My eyes traced it, and watched it bounce off the wall and into my surprise attackers back. With his attention momentarily on the kunai, I took this as an opportunity to send another kick into the side of his head. The man staggered and fell to the floor, hand gripping his head.

"3 down, 1 to go." I chuckled, shaking my head.

"You're pretty good for a genin." The last man mumbled lazily. He was fat, and though he looked like he would fight me, his eyes showed fear. I pulled out three ninja stars, and threw them. They weren't pointed to hit him, but his clothes instead. He was pinned to the wall, relief covering his face. I didn't feel like attacking such a lame opponent. I searched the building for a door, finally finding one hidden in the shadows. My feet carried me to the door, and my hand pulled it open as softly as possible. I found myself in another dark room, dimly lit by a small dusty lamp. I knew this room. It was the basement to my- my _parents-_house. I frowned in distaste. My dad was planning on raping me in his own basement? What kind of crappy plan was that? I tiptoed up the stairs, and pushed open the door that led to the hallway where Rima's room was. A small squeak went through the hallway. Though it was small, I knew Rima heard it. Her door swung open, and she twisted her head to look at me. Her eyes narrowed, not in anger, but with concern.

"Sakura? Why were you…no when and how did you get in the basement?" Rima asked. I rolled my eyes slightly, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Dad brought me there, ask him." I muttered, avoiding her gaze.

"Oh…We miss you." Rima said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. I snorted I disbelief, and walked past her room. 5 pale slender fingers wrapped themselves around my wrist and pulled me back.

"_I _miss you." She corrected, staring into my eyes intensely. I sighed and yanked my hand away from her grasp.

"If you miss me, then try proving it." I hissed. Rima's eyes widened in shock, as I turned my back on her. I walked out of the hallway, right past the living room and my mother, and out the front door. A cool breeze whipped pink strands of hair around my face, as I walked away from my house for hopefully the last time.

**I was gonna have Gaara in this chapter, but them I'm like "Well, maybe it'd be better to have a part with Rima in it!" Okk, anyways, please R&R, I'd really like to know how I'm doing so far. (To those of you who have already reviewed, THANK YOU)**

**Fun Question: Who is your favorite Naruto character(s)?**

**No suggestions, just let me know! x)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! 13 reviews, **_**and **_**I'm already on chapter 7! So exciting! Ok, I'm going to start now. I know the last few chapters have been kind of crappy, so I'll try to make this one better!**

**2 weeks later**

"G-Gaara-san, should we take a break?" I panted, wiping some of the sweat from my forehead. The red-head standing over me in a fairly questionable position nodded, and held out a hand to help me up. I gladly accepted, the contact making butterflies swarm in my stomach like every other time. The white shirt he wore clung to his chest and stomach, showing off a well built body, enough to drive any girl crazy. Especially me. For some strange reason, my hormones had been raging every time I've been around Gaara. His jade eyes, messy red hair, and oddly tan skin made me swoon. Though I tried very hard to hide it.

"Is chicken and rice alright for lunch?" He grumbled, avoiding my gaze.

"Hn." I sighed. My legs screamed with each step, until I finally collapsed onto the soft grass where Gaara had set up lunch.

"Remember, it's your turn to make lunch tomorrow. Don't forget _again._" He playfully mocked. I groaned, and punched his shoulder half-heartedly.

"That was _one _time! I usually don't forget!" I exclaimed, emphasizing one. Gaara rolled his eyes, and handed me a bento with grilled chicken and steamed rice. Assorted vegetables glazed in Miso sauce decorated the rice, making me smile. Gaara loved accentuating his food, though he completely denied the fact.

"Itadaki-masu!" I giggled, before digging into the still warm food. Bursts of spice and assembled flavors swarmed my taste-buds, making me smile in content. Gaara watched me intently, having a huge soft-spot for his cooking. Which he also denied.

"Mmmm…Delicious…As of expected from Gaara-kun!" I moaned happily. Gaara's face flushed, and he turned his attention back to his own food. I rolled my eyes, a childish grin creeping onto my face. Being around Gaara just had some weird affect on me that I couldn't get over. I finished my food in a matter of seconds, making me feel kind of fat.

"Thank you for a wonderful meal, Gaara-kun!" I giggled, placing the lid back onto the bento box he packed our lunch in. Gaara's light pink blush returned, and he mumbled something that sounded like a you're welcome. I stood from my spot, and looked around. Dark green shrubs surrounded the small meadow Gaara had chosen to train me in, and lush, leafy trees sprouted as far as the eye could see. A sudden piece came over me in a wave, making a smile creep onto my face. Spring time was drawing closer, so I wasn't surprised the plants looked so healthy.

"Neh, Gaara…Do you want to pick flowers?" I asked calmly, kneeling to his level. His eyes widened in surprise, and he blushed slightly.

"I-I guess…I mean if you really want to, we can…" He mumbled, rubbing his neck awkwardly. I smiled, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to a brightly lit area of the meadow where dozens of flowers sprouted. I ran towards a patch of Amaryllis, surrounded by smaller yellow flowers. I picked a light pink Amaryllis with dark red swirls, as well as a few smaller yellow ones to surround the flower. I looked over to Gaara, who was studying a bunch of Tulips intently. A small giggle escaped my bright pink lips, and he turned to give me a questioning look. Gaara's eyes caught sight of the Amaryllis, and he strolled over to me. He cupped my hands with his own, and raised the flower to his eyes.

"Pink and red, intertwined forever, until they wither and fade…Like us." He breathed, mainly to himself, but I still heard. I could feel the heat building in my cheeks, and turned to look away from him. His palm raised to my cheek, and pushed it gently so that I was looking at him again. Something inside of me stirred, and I felt the urge to move forward and close the distance between us.

"Sakura…What do you see when you look at me?" Gaara's voice was deep and intense, like he wanted me to answer so much that it hurt.

"I…I see deep, intense Jade green eyes, but when you look close enough, theres something else. Like…Like warmth, and passion, that you're desperately trying to let out. I see a red love tattoo that makes you look like you know a lot about that word, yet nothing about it at the same time. There's shaggy dark red hair to, that always looks perfect, even when you don't do anything to it. Then theres the dark eyeliner, that gives you a rebellious, yet mysterious look. And when I put all these details together, what I really see…Is you." I replied, a smile and blush spreading over my face. Gaara's eyes went wide, and his mouth was a perfect 'O'.

"What do you see when you look at me?" I whispered, afraid he wouldn't answer. He seemed to take in everything about me in the second it took for him to reply.

"Emerald green eyes, that hold kindness, determination, and strength. Bright pink lips, that 99% of the time are turned upwards. That energy and happiness from that smile can be felt and seen from a mile away, and is enough to make anyone happy. Light pink hair, that's short, but not to short, and falls around you're face perfectly. Mainly, I see you…" He muttered, a blush dusting over his cheeks as well. I smiled and leaned forward.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." I breathed. He just nodded, before closing the distance between us, and pressing his soft red lips against my own pin ones.

**OOOOOhhhh! CLIFFY! Sorry it was so short, but I wanted to leave you guys hanging on a cliff, so I ended it there. And IF any of you think I was going to fast, then TO BAD! It's already chapter 7, damnit, I'm getting anxious here! Anywho, hoped you enjoyed it. PLEASE R&R!**

**Fun Question: Favorite Naruto Gay couple:**

**A) NaruxSasu**

**B) NejixLee**

**C) LeexGuy**

**D) KakashixIruka**

**E) Other **

**Let me know! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh meh gerd! Chapter 7 was a good one I guess! 14 reviews to 22 reviews in ONE night! AAAAAHHHH! So freaking happy. And to reviewer S.A I couldn't respond through PM, so to answer your reviews. **

**1. Yes, Her dad is an Illusionist, so he transformed himself into a fox. Her parents hating her will be answered later on, maybe…Chapter 11?**

**2. Her sister will also be answered later on in the story.**

**3. I forgot to mention, all the genins are going to be around….14 I guess in this story.**

**I hoped that answered to majority of your questions, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my story knowing these things now! **

It took me a second to register what had happened, before finally noticing his lips were on mine. I leaned in as well, and wrapped my arms around his neck. My hands fisted his hair, as if it could pull him closer. Something in the back of my head told me this was wrong, but it was fogged over when his lip grazed over my bottom lip. I allowed him access, and let out our tongues battle furiously. Gaara finally won, and began exploring my mouth. I moaned inwardly, enjoying the fact that he tasted like candy. We finally pulled apart, so we could catch our breath. Gaara looked down at the floor, and pulled away from me with a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry…we shouldn't have done that…" He mumbled, avoiding my gaze. Pain hit me like a brick, and I tried not to show it.

"Yeah. You're right. That was stupid of me to do." I grumbled sadly. Gaara looked up at me in surprise, and reached out to place a hand on my arm. I flinched away from his touch, and turned around.

"Sakura, that's not what I-" I cut Gaara off with my hand before he could finish.

"No need to explain, Gaara, I understand." I choked out, before taking off away from him. I heard Gaara calling out to me, but I ignored him and kept running. Tears rolled down my face, and pain clawed at my stomach. Gaara kissed me, and then tells me we shouldn't have done that! My feet carried me to the apartment I had rented out with the money I earned from a job I got at the pet shop. I slammed the door shut, and locked it.

I collapsed onto my couch, scaring the hell out of my dog, Piko. The boxer puppy recovered from the shock quickly though, and nudged my arm over him. Piko licked my tears continuously, until I finally stopped crying. I smiled at him, and kissed him on his little nose. He barked happily, and licked my cheek again. I giggled, and pulled him closer. Soon after, I fell asleep with him still in my arms.

When I woke up, light filtered through my window, and Piko was still snuggled up to me, his eyes staring into mine with what looked like love and understanding. I smiled, and kissed the little dog on his nose, before sitting up. I placed Piko gently on the floor, and stumbled into my kitchen. After heating up the stove, I threw a frying pan onto it, along with 5 strips of bacon and 3 eggs. I knew I probably shouldn't feed Piko the same things I eat, but after having him curled up with me comfortingly all night, I felt as though I owed him. When the bacon was absolutely sizzly and greasy enough for my taste, and eggs looked scrambled enough, I slide two strips of bacon into Piko's doggy bowl, and an egg to go with it. Piko gave an excited yap, and dug in right away. I giggled, and ate my own breakfast still in the pan. I had a sort of habit with doing that. It stayed hotter and juicier that way, in my opinion. When I had finished, I dumped the pan in the sink, and went into my room to change my clothes. Shrugging out of the worn clothes I had yet to change out of, I grabbed a light green tank-top, with black flowers curling up the sides, and a pair of light pink shorts. I changed into the clothes quickly, and pulled my now mid-arm length hair into a tight ponytail, letting my bangs fall out. Lastly, I dabbed some rosey pink eye-shadow on my eyelids, and a little bit of eyeliner. I smiled at the reflection staring back at me, and walked out of the room. My green blowfish sherbet flats were waiting for me (yes, that's their name, look up, they are totally cute) at the door, and I slid my size 6 feet into them carefully.

Piko barked a goodbye as I waltzed out the door, making sure it was closed tight and locked behind me. I made my way down the apartment buildings dimly lit hallway, and into the lobby. As soon as I walked by the front desk, Exavier, the deskman, stopped me.

"Oi, Sakura-chan, somebody left you a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolate, and a note yesterday. He had dark red hair, green eyes with weird black rings around them, and a love tattoo on his forehead. Know him?" Exavier chimed all at once, waving the presents around. My mouth hung to the floor, shock hitting me like a very large wave.

"W-W-why?" I stammered. Exavier gave me a quizzical looked, cocked an eyebrow, and shrugged.

"How should I know. He's not my boyfriend." Exavier laughed carelessly. I could feel my face flush instantly, the heating burn my cheeks like ember on a fire.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" I yelled, snatching the flowers, chocolates, and notes, before running back up to my room.

Piko welcomed me with surprised yap, and I just gave him a 'I'll-explain-later-' hand wave. I'm not sure why though…I placed the flowers carefully into a blue stain-glassed vase my grandmother had given to me before she died, and put the chocolates in my 'candy' cabinet. I unfolded the note carefully, which was scrawled in perfect cursive, on clear white paper with pink flowers swirling around the corners. I barely touched the paper, afraid I would ruin it's beauty if I did.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I'm so sorry about what I said. When I said we shouldn't have done that, I thought you didn't want to kiss me. I've never felt so…so affectionate with another person as much as I have with you. My mother died when I was only 3, my brother and sister barely talk to me, and when they do, I guess it's kind of nice, and most of all, my father hates every little thing about me. Because of this, I'm pretty sure nobody really wants to talk to me either. But when I saw you, I thought there was something…different, about the way you were. When I got to know you, I felt as if I belonged somewhere. Like I was actually wanted by someone, need by someone! I felt like I was wanted and need by you, which is the best feeling I've ever had in my life. When I saw that I made you cry, It was like my entire heart just…shattered. I could literally feel the shards piercing and biting at my skin…It was so painful..so very painful…That's why I immediately went to your friend Iko's flower shop, and bought you a bunch of flowers. I also dropped by a store I hear had fantastic chocolate, and I got you twelve with cherry centers, and twelve with raspberry centers. That way if you didn't like one, you could have the other. I really do hope you will forgive me, and if you do, meet me at the cherry blossom hills at 6:00 p.m. _

_With love, _

_Gaara. _

The letter brought tears to my eyes, but this time, they were tears of joy. Gaara had apologized in the sweetest way possible. I also found it slightly amusing that he called Ino, Iko instead. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I stood from the couch, and smiled. The clock read 12:30 p.m., which gave me more then enough time to go shopping for Gaara, and still have an hour or two to prepare a picnic. Gaara cared about me, and I cared about him. I knew that for sure now. And I'm definitely going to make things right.

**Finally, I had inspiration! Here is chapter 8! I hope you enjoy it lots! Please R&R, you're opinions matter so much to me! **

**Fun little question: Who is YOUR favorite swords specialist?**

**A) Zabuza**

**B) Sasuke**

**C) Kitsune**

**D) Sazanami (bounty hunter)**

**E) Other, LET ME KNOW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AAAwwww! I love everyone who's been reviewing so far! Personally, I find Zabuza to be my favorite, he's just meh baby, but I like all the others to! Heres chapter 9, sorry the updates have been coming rather slowly, I have had lots of tests, homework, and studying to do, but now it's the weekened, so I'M FREE! Ok, enjoy chapter 9 nows!**

I stepped into the grocery story, smiling at my plans for the lunch I was going to prepare. I wandered down the produce Isle, adding onions, carrots, potatoes, pork, cabbage, chicken, and beef as I went. I stepped into another Isle, and grabbed two packages of rice. I traveled through numerous isles, until I finally added the last thing to my cart. Eggs.

Paying for the items at the cart, I let a smile grow on my face. I was going to make three traditional Japanese dishes for Gaara, Fried rice, Hayashi Raicu, and Tonkatsu.

(Note, All three of these dishes are FREAKING FANTASTIC! If you don't try it…You wont know what true food is…)

When I had arrive home, I started up the stove and frying pan, taking out several cutting boards as well. I set to work cutting up the cabbage, making the slices as thin as possible. I did this with the pork as well. When they were both finely cut, I threw the cabbage on the grill and the pork in the frying pan. It took 15 minutes for the cabbage to have perfect grill marks on each side, and for the pork to look golden brown. I cut the Pork in half, and put each half on different plates, as well as the cabbage. Then, I dumped the bags of rice into separate bots, and let them cook on the stove, while I cooked the other two foods.

When all the food was prepared, I packed them in separate bentos, waved goodbye to Piko, and headed out the door. I ignored Exavier with an irritated 'humph', which made him laugh, and exited the building. My feet carried me quickly to Cherry Blossom hills. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest, excitement building up in me quickly. I finally reached the destination I had been anxious to see. Gaara's familiar red hair and large gourd almost gave me a panic attack, but I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat, and gathered my fears.

My emerald eyes met his own jade orbs, and my heart soared out of my chest. His eyeliner was gone, and he wasn't wearing his regular uniform. Just a loose white t-shirt, and khaki shorts. His sandals were tossed carelessly by a tree, and his hair was rough, giving him a sexy, and dangerous demeanor. Though his eyes were gentle. I smiled shyly, and sat down next to him. Placing the food down next to him took me longer then I had hoped, because his eyes kept me distracted. They looked very, very, very, sexy. It took all the willpower in me not to just reach up and kiss the crap out of him. We ate in silence, one that wasn't awkward, but relaxing. I finally finished, and put the lid back on my empty bento. He was already done eating, and was staring at me intensely.

"Gaara, I'm so sorry, I didn't me t-" I began to apologize, but was cut off by a familiar pair of lips pressing down on mine. I gave into it quickly, wanting nothing more than to feel the warmth of his mouth on mine. His tongue teased my lower lip, asking for entrance, which I happily obliged to. Our tongues battled, though he quickly won dominance, exploring my mouth like this was the last time he could. As usual, he tasted like candy, making me smile against the kiss.

At some point, we finally had to break apart and breathe. I had somehow ended up in a straddling position over Gaara, which caused him to smirk, and me to blush.

"I quite like this position." He remarked, scanning my body very slowly. His gaze wavered on my chest, interest sparking in his eyes. I blushed harder, self-conscious on my C sized breasts. Gaara's hand rose to my stomach, and slowly began to unbutton my blouse, his eyes never leaving mine. When he reached the last button, he gave me a look for permission, which I gave a slight nod to. My shirt slid off, and he teasingly drew lines up and down my stomach, going higher each time. I moaned in annoyance, which made him chuckle.

Inner Sakura: That's it, two can play at this game!

I giggled, stood up, and ran away from him, hiding behind a tree. The look on his face was priceless, like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away from him. Gaara stood up, and followed to where I was hidden. He peered around the corner of the tree, grinning like a 2 year old. His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me close to him.

"Now you cant escape." He whispered in my ear, licking around the lobe. He trailed butterfly kisses down my neck and jaw line, inching closer and closer to my lips. Once again, our mouths battled fiercely, this time me winning the fight. I trailed my tongue over his teeth, gums, and jaw, never getting tired of his growls and moans coming from the back of his throat. Air forced us apart once more, and a weird desire was starting to form in me. Just as we were about to lean in for another kiss…

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Hinata was looking…for…you?" Naruto's voice called, an awkward feeling towards the end. I guess the sight of me without a shirt, and my legs wrapped around Gaara's waist was a bit weird.

"Oh…Uh…Well..Uhm…HINATA SAVE ME!" Naruto ran from the hill, my death-glare 10 times worse then most others. But then again, the look on Gaara's face must have been 100 times more terrifying. Hinata's face was a tomato from the fact that Naruto was hugging her from behind, and burying his face into her back. Didn't he know she liked him?

I sighed, and unhooked myself from Gaara's body.

Just as things were getting good, Naruto had to come and ruin it. But then again, I could never truly hate him.

**I know, Sucky ending, but I've kept you waiting long enough. Enjoy this chappers, and be warned, the next one will be on Hinata and Naruto. I decided to make this story a multiple P.O.V, on all the main character couples out there! Sorry for the random change, but I've actually become quite the fan for NaruHina stories as well!**


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